


Forever Doesn't Seem So Bad

by malecnificenttyrus11



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Angst w/hopeful ending, Evil!Caleb, Extended Scene, Implied Feelings/Confessions, Jealous!Willie, Julie and the phantoms - Freeform, Mutual Pining, Rewritten Scene, Supportive!Sunset Curve, The Other Side of Hollywood, Willie Dances, Willie is so far gone for Alex, not really though..., willex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:01:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26801857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malecnificenttyrus11/pseuds/malecnificenttyrus11
Summary: Alex glances over at Willie with a huge grin, gesturing him over. Willie clenches his jaw and balls his fists, immediately pushing through the crowd and storming away.He doesn't glance back, and tries to ignore the hurt that he feels. He knows that he's being dumb, but he really thought that Alex liked him, wanted to dance with him and be with him.Even if a part of Willie knows that Caleb had deliberately done that to upset him, it doesn't make it hurt any less.He poofs outside of the club, in desperate need of some air. He knows that Alex probably wouldn't even notice he was gone, or if he did he wouldn't come after him.
Relationships: Alex & Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 287





	Forever Doesn't Seem So Bad

** WILLIE POV: **

When Willie initially invited Alex and his friends to the Hollywood Ghost Club, a part of it was because he felt guilty for not being able to do more on his own to help them.

Another part of him, well....another part of him just wanted the opportunity to spend more time with the chaotic ghost boy who'd stolen his heart.

Before Willie died, things weren't so easy in his life. His parents rarely ever paid him any attention, and with no real friends...he found himself constantly trying to get his parents attention by acting out and being reckless.

He'd skate in illegal places, get into legal trouble and they still didn't care about him...still didn't bat an eye. Willie would go to extremes just to try and make them notice him...

_ Unfortunately one day, that cost him his life. _

After he'd died, he did visit his family a few times to see how they were doing. They grieved him for awhile, but it wasn't long before they were going on as if he'd never existed.

_ He wasn't really surprised, but it still hurt. _

It was after that when Willie realized that he would spend an eternity alone...just him and his skateboard, just like he'd done when he was alive.

_ Sure, it was a lonely feeling, but nothing he hadn't experienced before.  _

And then one night, while skating along the streets of Hollywood...Willie ran into another ghost.

He'd introduced himself as Caleb, and that's when Willie learned everything there was to know about the afterlife.

It was that same night that Caleb had taken him to the Hollywood Ghost Club, introduced him to other ghosts and offered him the opportunity to join for eternity.

Willie knew that accepting Caleb's offer meant never figuring out his unfinished business...never crossing over.

While a part of him wanted to figure out his unfinished business, another part of him knew that there wasn't a reason for it. It wasn't like he had a reason to crossover...his family never needed him or cared when he was alive. So why would he have to crossover and watch over them?

That's why Willie accepted Caleb's offer. He knew that an eternity of never-ending parties would feel lonely just as he already felt, but he resigned to the fact that it would be better than whatever unknown waited for him on the other side.

_ And plus, he'd dealt with lonely before, so it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. _

Willie would stay at the Hollywood Ghost Club, and it was always fun. He always met a ton of new people...a constant revolving door of people entering and leaving his afterlife. He still got to skate the streets of Hollywood, too. It was just as lonely as he'd expected, but he was content with it.

_ When he'd crossed paths with Alex for the first time, however, everything changed. _

Suddenly Willie wasn't as content with being alone. He wanted to have someone beside him that he could spend time with, talk to about anything-and-everything...someone who actually paid him attention and really _saw_ him.

_ And Alex did exactly that. _

The more time he spent with Alex, the more he realized just how much he wanted to be around him.

Willie knew that he was falling hard and fast for the charming and chaotic ghost boy, but for the first time ever...he didn't try to fight the feeling. He dived in headfirst.

Having Alex at the Hollywood Ghost Club is more exciting than he expected it to be. He loves to be able to give Alex insight into his existence, especially since Alex is the first person to actually care.

Caleb's performance is show-stopping and spectacular as usual, and Willie can't stop smiling at how entranced Alex is by the whole thing.

He honestly couldn't keep his eyes off of him the entire time, and while he was sure Alex's friends had undoubtedly noticed...he couldn't bring himself to care.

Willie is snapped out of his thoughts when Caleb approaches the table, greeting all of the boys.

"Now..." Caleb says as he leans back in his chair and crosses his legs, "My friend Willie here tells me that you boys have some magic of your own." 

Willie nods and smiles at each of the boys, looking back at Caleb as he waits for the boys to speak up.

Alex clears his throat, " _Oh_ , uh...Willie and I?"

Willie glances over at Alex, furrowing his eyebrows when he sees a panicked look on his face.

"I don't really know if I would call it _magic_ , but...uh..." he rambles out, laughing uncomfortably.

Oh. _Oh_...that's why Alex looked like a deer-in-headlights.

_ Wait...did Alex just admit to having feelings for him?  _

Willie shook himself from his thoughts, jumping in to save Alex from this awkward moment.

"Oh, no... _no_..." he says, resting a hand on Alex's shoulder, "he means your ghost abilities. Like...being able to be seen by everyone when you, play with Julie." 

Alex stares into his eyes for a few seconds, realization dawning on him. His face turns red with embarrassment, him immediately turning to look at Caleb.

He flounders with his words for a few seconds, "No, _totally_! _Right_...Because when you said it I thought...is _that_ what he said..." his voice goes up several octaves.

Willie can't wipe the grin off of his face at how adorable Alex is, even when Caleb gives them a very-pointed, knowing look...Alex's friends watching on with curious eyes.

The other boys jump in to save the conversation, and Willie finds himself zoning out...thinking about what just happened.

_ Alex undoubtedly just admitted his feelings for Willie.  _

_ Alex reciprocated his feelings. _

Willie spent most of his life as a lifer alone, thinking that he'd never get a chance at happiness. And when he'd died and resigned to an afterlife of loneliness for _eternity_ , he still never thought he'd get _THIS_.

And now sitting here next to Alex, the boy who'd completely stolen his heart and now reciprocated his feelings, he knew that choosing an eternity was the right choice.

_ Especially if it brought him Alex. _

He is snapped out of his thoughts when Caleb bids farewell to the group, leaving the table. As if sensing that he and Alex need some time to talk...Luke and Reggie get up from the table and disappear into the crowd to explore the club and mingle.

Willie is silently grateful to them for giving him and Alex some alone time.

Alex avoids Willie's eyes for a few seconds, clearly embarrassed over what just happened. Willie rests a hand on his knee, squeezing it to grab his attention.

"Hey, you okay there... _hotdog_?" He asks with a smile.

Alex blinks himself back into reality, looking over to meet Willie's eyes, "Oh, uh...yeah. _Yeah_...I'm great."

Willie raises an eyebrow, unconvinced, "You sure? You look like you're on the verge of a panic attack."

Alex chews on his lower lip, "I feel like I am, honestly. I'm sorry about all of... _that_." he waves his hand, gesturing to the now empty table.

Willie furrows his eyebrows, "Why are you apologizing?"

Alex falls silent, looking down at his lap and fidgeting his hands. Willie knows what he's trying to say without him saying it, and reaches over to rest a hand on top of Alex's shaking ones, squeezing them.

"Hey..." he breathes out, forcing Alex to look up and meet his eyes.

He smiles softly at him, "It's _okay_. Really."

Alex laughs softly, "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Alex smiles, looking down at his lap as a comfortable silence falls between them. Willie pulls his hand back into his lap.

"That was one crazy show." Alex exclaims excitedly after a few minutes.

Willie smiles, "So I'm guessing all of these lifers are like...sworn to secrecy or something?"

Willie laughs, leaning back in his chair, "Or something...let's just say that Caleb has offered everyone here, with their membership, the opportunity to experience this for _eternity_." 

Alex nods, eyes wide with wonder and curiosity, "And they've all happily accepted."

Willie smiles when he sees Alex completely engaged and focused in on the conversation. Honestly, it was nice to finally have someone to talk to that actually _listened_ to him, that wanted to hear what he had to say.

_ He never had that before. _

"And all of these ghosts just want to party forever and never cross over?" He asks, glancing around at the energetic crowd around them.

Willie's smile grows even further into an ear-splitting grin. He loved when Alex asked a ton of questions...it was one of his most endearing qualities.

_ He could listen to Alex talk for hours and never get tired of answering his endless questions. _

He could listen to him _forever_ , honestly. That thought would've scared him not long ago...but sitting here with Alex now, he wasn't afraid at all.

_ Forever didn't seem so scary anymore. _

"Yeah, man...why would you want to cross over when you can just hangout and..." Willie pauses, debating whether or not he should put his feelings out on the line like this, "do _this_. Forever."

Alex glances around the club, before his eyes lock back on Willie's. He can feel a shift in the air between them...he knows that Alex is starting to understand what he's saying.

"There's a lot to, uh...like here." He adds, giving Alex a soft smile before getting up from the table.

He hopes that what he said was enough to convey his feelings to Alex, and doesn't scare him away.

Willie disappears into the crowd, falling into conversation with one of the ghosts he knows from Caleb's club. He glances back over at Alex, who's now in conversation with Luke.

Alex glances over at him, and Willie smiles when he looks away shyly.

They are undoubtedly talking about him, atleast that's what he thinks based on their not-so-subtle looks in his direction, and he hopes that its a good thing. It's important that he has the approval of Alex's bandmates and friends, especially since he plans on eventually exploring this thing between them.

_ He really wants to. _

~

A short time later Alex's friends all return to the table, and Willie finally gains the courage to go back over to join them.

He laughs to himself when he sees the boys devouring trays of food...shoveling it all into their mouths. 

He stops to stand in front of the table, raising an eyebrow, "I'm assuming you all are enjoying the food?"

All three boys turn to look at him, nodding their heads, "Man, you have _no idea_...we haven't eaten food since _95_ '..." Luke says, biting into another slice of pizza and moaning.

"Yeah...it turns out that tainted hotdogs really don't do much to satisfy your appetite." Reggie adds in a muffled voice, mouth stuffed with food.

Willie laughs, sitting back down in his seat. He glances over at Alex, laughing softly when he sees the mustard on his lip.

"Hey, _hotdog_...you've got a little something there..." he gestures to Alex's lip.

Alex smiles shyly, turning his head and reaching up to wipe it away. Willie grabs his wrist, "Here...let me."

Willie brings his hand up to Alex's face, swiping his thumb across the side of his lip. Alex blushes, averting his gaze to the table.

"Thanks..."

Willie's gaze remains locked on Alex, a fond smile on his face. He's so adorable, and Willie is so far gone for him.

Luke's voice snaps him out of his trance, "Pizza, _god_ I missed you." 

"Reggie...are you... _kissing_ , that meatball sub?" Alex asks in-between bites of his food.

Willie glances over at him before looking at Reggie, raising his eyebrows in amusement.

Reggie looks up, "It's what you do with the things you love."

Alex's friends were...interesting for sure. Reggie was a pretty strange dude, and Willie would probably judge him in this moment if he didn't slightly agree with the sentiment behind his questionable actions.

_ He would like to kiss Alex. _

Before he can get too distracted by the prospect of kissing Alex, Caleb appears back on the stage...ready to start his usual show finale. This was always Willie's favorite part of the night.

The music starts, and the energy in the room hits 100 all over again. All of the boys at the table start jamming along, Willie of course focusing all of his attention on Alex again.

When the musical number gets close to the chorus, Willie makes the decision to jump in and dance.

He normally decides against participating in the group performances, since he doesn't really have the need to impress anyone and he usually feels like he stands out against the incredible talent of the others.

_ For some reason though, on this night he has confidence in his abilities, and he wants to jump in. _

_ In all honesty, he wants to impress Alex. _

Willie squeezes Alex's shoulder to grab his attention, jumping up from the table and joining the performers, instinctively doing the dance number that he knew by heart.

_ Life is good on the other side of Hollywood. _

_ Life is good on the other side of Hollywood. _

He shoots Alex a wink as he dances along to the music. Alex's eyes are completely locked on Willie...the intensity of his gaze burning right through him.

_ So welcome to the brotherhood _

_ Where you won't be misunderstood _

_ Life is good on the other side of Hollywood _

Having Alex's undivided attention and silent-approval is something that meant more than Willie could ever explain.

He keeps his eyes locked on Alex's, feeling more energetic and _alive_ than he had in all of his years in the afterlife, and admittedly even all of his years as a lifer.

The dance break finally comes around, and Willie jumps in the air...immediately jogging over to the table and grabbing Alex's hands, pulling him up from his seat.

Alex stumbles slightly, smiling at him once he gets his footing. They stand beside eachother, watching as Luke and Reggie are entranced by one of the dancers.

Alex turns his attention to Willie, moving slightly to the music, "Hey...I didn't know you could dance. You're _amazing_ , man."

Willie blushes, grinning at him. 

The crowd suddenly grows, and Willie loses Alex and the boys. He still dances along to the music, glancing around for any sign of Alex.

He really wanted to show off his dancing abilities to Alex again, and honestly just wanted to dance _with_ him.

_ Life is good on the other side of Hollywood. _

_ Life is good on the other side of Hollywood. _

Caleb suddenly appears in front of Willie, giving him a wicked smile that has Willie freezing on the spot. It's the same menacing look that he has whenever he's done something despicable, and Willie feels his blood running cold.

Caleb gestures behind him and moves aside. The crowd beyond him disperses, and Willie frowns when he sees Alex dancing between Dante and Fuego.

_ What the hell? _

Dante spins Alex around, and Willie feels the ghost feeling of his heart sinking in his chest. A dull ache settles there as the scene unfolds in front of him.

Alex glances over at Willie with a huge grin, gesturing him over. Willie clenches his jaw and balls his fists, immediately pushing through the crowd and storming away.

He doesn't glance back, and tries to ignore the hurt that he feels. He knows that he's being dumb, but he really thought that Alex liked him, wanted to dance with _him_ and be with _him_.

  
Even if a part of Willie knows that Caleb had deliberately done that to upset him, it doesn't make it hurt any less.

He poofs outside of the club, in desperate need of some air. He knows that Alex probably wouldn't even notice he was gone, or if he did he wouldn't come after him.

Once he is sure he waited long enough for the dancing to be over with, Willie poofs himself back inside and plops down at a table in the farthest corner of the ballroom, dropping his head down.

~

** ALEX POV: **

Alex watches in confusion and concern as a very-visibly upset Willie storms away from the dancefloor, disappearing into the crowd. He is about to chase after him to make sure he's okay when he's suddenly pushed backwards into one of the dancer's---he didn't really care enough to remember his name--arms, picked-up and then spun around.

He lets himself enjoy the moment, but his heart and mind is no longer enjoying the dance, now that Willie isn't there.

_ Honestly, Alex only got up to dance because Willie wanted him to. He wanted to dance with Willie---who was a surprisingly amazing dancer---but he'd lost him in the crowd, and now he was gone. _

Alex finishes off the remainder of the dance, mind still focused on Willie's sudden disappearance.

He's dipped backwards by the two dancers---he still doesn't remember their names---and then lifted back up.

Alex gives an uncomfortable smile to the two guys, eyes immediately moving to scan the crowd for any sign of the skater boy that owns his heart.

He frowns when he isn't able to spot Willie, worry settling deep inside of him. The crowd grows thicker and hard to see through, so Alex poofs himself up onto one of the suspended air-rings.

He stumbles slightly, holding the hoop with a death grip as he searches the room for any sight of Willie.

He jerks back when Reggie's voice yells up to him, cutting through the crowd, "Alex, man...we forgot about-"

"Julie...I _know_..." He yells back, kicking his legs as he tries to regain his balance and not fall, "This place is some kind of time warp or something."

"Alex, man...poof down here! We need to go, _now_!" Luke yells impatiently.

Alex poofs down onto the ground, barely able to gather his bearings before Luke grabs his arm and drags him towards the spiraling staircase, him stumbling behind him.

Just before the stairs Alex freezes, yanking his arm so that Luke stops walking.

"Man...come _on_ , we have to go!" Luke says with a frustrated look on his face.

Alex sighs, "I know it's just..." he pauses, "I haven't been able to find Willie. He looked upset earlier and he disappeared and I'm worried. I just..."

Luke gives him a knowing look, nodding his head, "Go find him...you can meet us at the school."

Alex gives him an appreciative smile, nodding his head, "Tell Julie that I'm sorry. I'll see you guys soon."

He immediately turns to jog back into the crowd, eyes darting around in search of Willie. After what feels like hours, he finally spots him sitting at a table alone in a corner, head down and shoulders slumped.

He frowns, shoving his hands in his pockets and slowly making his way over to him.

"Willie?" Alex calls out softly once he gets closer, and his frown deepens when Willie flinches.

Willie looks up to meet Alex's eyes, and Alex feels the ghost sensation of his heart sinking, "Hey...you disappeared earlier and I wasn't able to find you. I got worried...are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Willie says quietly, avoiding his eyes.

Alex sighs, sitting down in the seat beside him, "Are you _sure_? Because you don't seem fine."

"It's nothing. It's...It's _dumb_." 

He shakes his head, "Willie, anything that is making you upset is _not_ dumb. You know you can talk to me, right? This isn't a one-way street where you just listen to my problems and give me advice and guidance..."

Alex pauses, "I _care_ about you, Willie."

Willie finally meets Alex's eyes, chewing on his lower lip, "I just...I thought that we were having fun together tonight, and that we..." his voice trails off, "But then I saw you dancing with Dante and Fuego and..."

He lets out a frustrated sigh, "I don't know, man. Like I said...it's _dumb_."

Alex furrows his eyebrows in confusion, processing Willie's words.

_ First of all...who were Dante and Fuego? He's guessing those were the two guys Caleb forced him to dance with. _

_ Second...why would that make Willie upset?  _

Oh. _Oh_...

"You...got upset because I was dancing with those guys?" Alex asks, and Willie shrugs.

Alex raises an eyebrow, "Willie...you don't...you don't think that I _like_ them, right?"

_ His silence is all the answer that Alex needs. _

Did Willie not see how head-over-heels and completely gone for him that Alex was? I mean...Alex has made it painfully obvious on several occasions, from the heart-eyes he'd given him at their first meeting and every moment since, to him basically exposing his feelings earlier in the night by thinking of them as magical.

_ How did Willie not see it?  _

" _Willie_..." Alex starts, but Willie cuts him off.

"Alex, I know that I have no right to be upset. I'm being dumb, we could just forget it..." 

Alex shakes his head, "No. I don't _want_ to forget it. Willie...do you not seriously see how much I like you?"

Willie's head snaps up to look at Alex, "I honestly didn't even care about getting revenge on our ex-bandmate tonight. I just was excited about getting to spend more time with you. This entire night, with _you_...was amazing."

"Willie...I don't care about those guys. Caleb forced me into dancing with them. The whole time I was thinking about _you_. Looking for _you_. You _need_ to believe me." Alex says, voice pleading.

Willie's eyes are wide in shock, lips parted slightly as he processes Alex's words.

"I believe you." Willie says finally, and Alex lets out a breath of relief.

"Good, because it's been 25 years since I've liked someone, and honestly...this is the first time I've felt this _strongly_ about anyone." He admits, looking down at the table.

Willie smiles, reaching over to squeeze Alex's hand, "Yeah...me too." he confesses.

Alex glances down at their hands, smiling before looking back up at Willie.

"Hey...you should probably get going. You should be with your friends." Willie says, and Alex sighs in disappointment, nodding.

"Yeah. Time kind of...slipped away from me tonight, honestly." Alex admits, standing up from the table.

Willie nods, "Yeah, this place can be like a time warp. I'll uh...see you around, hotdog?"

Alex grins, "You sure will, _skater boy._ "

Willie raises his eyebrows, laughing, " _Skater_ boy?"

"Hey, you call me _hotdog_. That's how I _died_ , so this is only fair. And plus...it has a nice ring to it." Alex says, grinning proudly.

"Okay, skater boy it is...then." 

Alex smiles, turning to walk away. He pauses, glancing back at Willie, "Oh, and you'll have to show me more of your dance moves sometime."

"Only if you show me yours." Willie says, winking.

Alex blushes, smiling and turning around to walk towards the stairs. He jogs up the stairs, freezing when Caleb appears in front of him.

"Leaving so soon?" Caleb asks, and Alex clears his throat.

"Oh, uh... _yeah_. My friends and I have a gig with our friend and we sort of lost track of time." He explains.

Caleb nods, "Yes, _right_...your friends mentioned that."

Alex smiles, "Thank you again for the invitation, Mr. Covington...it was _great_."

"Of course, the pleasure is all mine." 

Alex goes to walk past, freezing when Caleb steps in front of him...a wide smile on his face that gives Alex chills.

"Before you go...I was just telling your friends. If you ever reconsider my offer, the Hollywood Ghost Club is _always_ open..." he pauses, leaning closer and smirking, "I'm sure Willie would _love_ to have you here."

Alex's eyes widen, "Oh, uh...y-yeah. Of course. Thank you, sir."

Caleb smiles, offering his hand, "Pleasure to meet you, Alex. Any friend of Willie's is a friend of mine."

Alex smiles, shaking his hand and furrowing his eyebrows when he feels a burning sensation on his wrist. He glances down to see a purple mark ingrained into his skin...fading away.

He glances up at Caleb in confusion, "Just a club stamp, should you ever want to come back."

"Oh...thank you." 

Caleb nods, leaning back to give Alex room to leave. He glances back at Willie, giving him a small wave before jogging up the stairs and poofing away.

Willie immediately walks over to the stairs, fidgeting his hands nervously as he looks at Caleb, "Uh...Caleb. You never said you would use your stamp. You know what that would do to them..."

Caleb looks up, that same dark smile from earlier on his lips, "Of _course_ I do, William. But they are simply _too_ _powerful_. I need them working for me."

He walks down the stairs, resting a hand against Willie's cheek, "Now they'll have no choice but to accept my offer. But hey...it's a win-win situation for the _both_ of us."

He chuckles darkly, walking past Willie and disappearing into the crowd. Willie's eyes widen, him glancing back at Caleb.

He stamped Alex and his friends. Alex was going to have to join Caleb's club, or he would be destroyed forever. Willie just got him, and now he might lose him _forever_.

_And it was all his fault._


End file.
